Buckle



G. W. HART. Buckle.

No. 226,914. Patented April 27, 1880.

N.PE|ERS. PHOTCHJTHOGRAPMER. WASHINGTON D O.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GERALD W. HART, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT.

' BUCKLE;

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 226,914, dated April 27, 1880.

Application filed November 3, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GERALD WV. HART, of New Britain, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Buckles, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to furnish aid in holding the tongue in place by means of' the strain exerted upon the strap to which the buckle is secured, to facilitate unbucklin g or releasin g the strap, and to reduce the cost of manufacture; and the invention consists of the peculiar construction of the parts and in their combination, as hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figures 1 and 3 are front views of a buckle which embodies my invention. Figs. 2 and 5 are side views of the same, and Fig. 4 is a front view of a detatched part thereof.

A designates the buckle-frame, and B the tongue. This frame consists of a single loop, with eyes in the ends thereof, which receive the pivots a a of the tongue B. It may be made of cast malleable metal; but I prefer and design to make it of wire bent into loop form, and with coils formed on the ends for eyes, as shown; and when thus formed it can be produced at a very small cost. I prefer to make the tongue B of malleable iron, and I form it with a bar, I), across its front end, but inside of the edge which impinges against the strap, thereby necessitating a sloton both sides of said bar and forward of the axis of the tongue, as shown in Fig. 4. The strap C, to which the buckle is attached, is placed as shown. Pivots a a are placed over this bar I) on-each side and received by the eyes of the frame A. At the rear of these pivots there is a loop, 0, for tucking the free end of the strap 1). This loop stands outward somewhat, so as to leave room for the strap to be tucked under it, and also so as to facilitate unbuckling the strap.

Figs. 1 and 2 show the manner of passing the strap into the buckle, although the straps are not represented as drawn taut.

By reason of attaching the strap C to a bar located in front of the axis of the tongue, the

greater the strain on said strap the tighter will the tongue impinge against the strap D. In order to unfasten the buckle it is only necessary to withdraw the free end of the strap D from the loop 0, and then depress said loop into the position shown in Fig. 5, which act will elevate the tongue and release the strap D.

It is evident that if the loop 0 were located upon the buckle-frame, as in other buckles, instead of upon the tongue, as in my buckle, this method of fastening could not be employed, because in that event to depress the loop at the rear of the frame would press the frame and tongue more firmly together, instead of separating them.

I am aware that a prior patent shows a buckle-frame consisting ofa simple loop of wire in combination with a sliding clasp or tongue; also, that other patents show buckle-frames with a loop for tucking the loose end of the strap; also, that another patent shows a rigid offset tongue with the strap secured to apoint wholly back of its pivot in such manner as to cause the tongue to gripe hardest when under the most severe strain, all of which prior devices are hereby disclaimed.

I claim as my invention-- 1. In a buckle, the tongue B, having the two openings, with the strap-bar 1) between them, all located at the end which is forward of the axis, substantially as described, and for the purpose specified.

2. In a buckle, the tongue B, having the openings and strap-bar b upon one side of its axis and the loop 0 upon the opposite side of said axis, substantially as described, and for the purpose specified.

3. The frame A, consisting of a simple loop, in combination with the tongue B, pivoted therein and provided with the bar I) for attachment of the buckle to one end of the strap, and the loop c for receiving the other or free end of the strap, said loop standing outward at an angle to the body of the tongue, substantially as described, and for the purpose specified.

GERALD W. HART.

Witnesses:

F. H. CHURCHILL, CHAs. E. WOODRUFF. 

